Reminisce

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˌɹɛm.əˈnɪs/

Definitions

1. To think back on former times with pleasure or nostalgia
2. To mentally revisit past events often with affection
3. To remember and enjoy memories from earlier periods in life

Etymology: Reminisce is a back-formation: English speakers took the noun "reminiscence" and carved a verb out of it, the way "edit" was later made from "editor." The noun came first, borrowed from French "réminiscence," which traces to Latin "reminīscēns," the present participle of "reminīscor," meaning "to remember." So the verb is a step removed from Latin, built on a noun that had already arrived in English. The Latin root carries a useful clue to the sense. "Reminīscor" is tied to "mens," mind, and the prefix "re-" suggests returning, so the word has always involved the mind travelling back over what it once knew. Nothing in the Latin required warmth, though. The "fondly" in today's sense is a later colouring that English speakers added as the verb settled into everyday use.

Synonyms: recall, remember, recollect, reflect, think back

Antonyms: forget